


daddy lessons

by tootsonnewts



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Keith meets Shiro, M/M, Modern AU, dads of marmora, kolivan gets nosy, thace is a jump scare, we all have a good time and go home
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-05
Updated: 2018-05-31
Packaged: 2019-04-18 20:14:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 19,754
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14220915
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tootsonnewts/pseuds/tootsonnewts
Summary: It starts suddenly.Keith arrives home one Tuesday afternoon with a little more manic energy rolling off of him than normal. Instead of heading for the kitchen to scarf down god-knows-what, he makes a beeline straight for his room. Ten minutes later, he emerges in his running clothes, hair in a sloppy little ponytail and sneakers on his feet. He practically bounces out the door, calling a quick “back in an hour!” over his shoulder as he goes.“What’s gotten into him?” Thace asks, jarring Kolivan out of his thoughts. He’d forgotten he was sitting on the couch, so lost as he was in his confusion over their nephew’s behavior.“One can only guess,” he mumbles in reply.keith is acting strange and his uncles are on the case.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> this was born of a tumblr prompt from ann-spoon: "Modern AU Dad's of Marmora and Keith meets Shiro?"
> 
> i hope you enjoy it!

It starts suddenly.

Keith arrives home one Tuesday afternoon with a little more manic energy rolling off of him than normal. Instead of heading for the kitchen to scarf down god-knows-what, he makes a beeline straight for his room. Ten minutes later, he emerges in his running clothes, hair in a sloppy little ponytail and sneakers on his feet. He practically bounces out the door, calling a quick “back in an hour!” over his shoulder as he goes.

“What’s gotten into him?” Thace asks, jarring Kolivan out of his thoughts. He’d forgotten he was sitting on the couch, so lost as he was in his confusion over their nephew’s behavior.

“One can only guess,” he mumbles in reply.

_Interesting._

Precisely one hour later, Keith strolls through the front door, all sweat and exhaustion. He swoops into the kitchen and right back out with an apple hanging from his mouth. Kolivan watches in bemusement as Keith returns to the entryway to toe off the shoes he’d forgotten to remove upon his arrival.

“Would you like to tell me what this is about?” Kolivan asks, eyeing Keith’s damp hair. Keith reaches up to pull the apple from his mouth, tearing a chunk out and chomping it loudly as he goes.

“Sorry. It’s been a...weird day,” he answers cryptically. Apple juice drips down his chin and his eyes go a little glassy.

He wants to ask what Keith means, but the boy works in his own time. If Kolivan is patient, he’ll learn what Keith needs him to learn when he needs him to learn it. That’s enough for him. Instead, he arches an eyebrow and reaches down, wiping the mess from Keith’s face.

“I swear, Keith. If I didn't know better, I would say you are still very much the child I met thirteen years ago.”

“How horrible,” Keith deadpans, smirking up at him with a bit of apple peel stuck between his front teeth.

“Your manners are truly my greatest regret.”

“A familial disappointment.”

Keith pokes the edge of his fingernail in his mouth, fishing around for the errant fruit skin.

“Of the highest magnitude.”

“How do you stand me?”

He finally finds it, scooping it out and sucking it off his finger with a loud _smack!_

“I ask myself that question constantly.”

Keith snorts in reply and finishes his apple with gusto. He turns and tosses the core into the trashcan, smiling to himself as it neatly drops in. Kolivan laughs and looks at his sloppy hair again.

“Go wash up for dinner, young one. Thace will have your head if you come to the table like this. At least you’re on time for once.”

“It could be worse,” Keith answers, heading for the stairs. “I could be doing drugs.”

“Yes, well,” Kolivan answers as Keith disappears up the stairs.

The night proceeds as usual, dinner passing with easy chatter about their days and deadlines each of them have coming up. Keith washes the dishes, does his homework on the couch as they watch a documentary together, then heads out for his late shift at the diner downtown. Thace had been concerned when he first took it. Classes in the morning, homework in the evening, and shifts at night would be a lot for any college student, but Keith had proven to handle it exceptionally well. His grades are impeccable, he’s never been in trouble, and he’s managed to hang on to the trademark dry wit that Kolivan loves so much about the boy.

All in all, it _could_ be worse. He _could_ be doing drugs.

 

+++

 

A week later, it happens again.

Keith breezes through the door practically buzzing with energy and takes off for an hour-long run. He returns with his cellphone clutched in his hand, brows furrowed down at the screen as though the device had bitten him.

“Everything okay over there, Keith?” Kolivan asks over the edge of his magazine.

Keith closes his eyes and sighs out a shaky breath, shoving the phone in his pocket. He opens his eyes, pulls the phone back out, unlocks it, looks at the screen, grimaces, locks it, and shoves it right back in his pocket.

“Yeah, uh. Yeah,” he answers. “Everything’s good.”

He’s lying.

“You’re lying.”

“I’m not lying!” Keith lies, lyingly.

“Keith.”

“Kolivan.”

“ _Keith._ ”

They stare each other down for a moment. Keith’s eyebrows bounce a bit in his determination to keep a straight face. Kolivan is impervious to this. He’s an expert at breaking the boy over his will. He cocks an eyebrow of his own, and Keith deflates like a punctured balloon in a sad hometown parade.

“Remember how I had a weird day last week?”

“Yes.”

He vaguely does, anyway.

“I had one again today.”

“Ah. I see.”

He doesn’t.

He forgets himself, though. It’s easy sometimes, because his affection for Keith often outweighs his desire to be enigmatic. The problem with this is that Keith can always pick up on it. He’s like a bloodhound that way. A little drop of uncertainty and he can  _smell_ it.

“It’s fine, though. It’s no big deal,” Keith reassures, jumping on Kolivan’s hesitation.

Keith’s feet shuffle against the carpet, another of his tells. The day Kolivan met Keith, he stood before him swearing up and down that he didn’t need anyone and he was just fine all alone. His feet scraped across the floor the entire time he spoke, blush rising high on pudgy little cheeks. Each time after, when Keith was in trouble or hiding his thoughts, his toes would swish back and forth, a metronome that only Keith knew the tempo of.

“Well, if it’s no big deal, then it’s no big deal,” Kolivan huffs. It seems like a pretty big deal, but his focus is on soothing Keith the only way he knows how. They’re nothing if not a family of boundaries.

“But if it were a big deal,” he continues, “you could tell me about it. Even though, as you’ve said, it’s not.”

Keith sighs again.

“I know.”

His fingers twitch at his sides, nervous energy pouring from their tips.

“Go,” Kolivan sighs. “It would appear you need to run.”

Keith smiles up at him in appreciation and disappears down the hall.

“I don’t understand why he feels the need to lie,” Thace says from behind Kolivan, startling him into a full jump. Kolivan spins around to face him as he saunters the rest of the way into the room.

“I really do wish you would stop that.”

“Stop what? Living here?”

“Back in an hour!” Keith calls. The door snaps shut behind him.

“Honestly,” Thace says. “We have to figure out what’s on that child’s mind.”

 

+++

 

It doesn’t take long to find out.

For a couple months, they settle into their new routine. Every few days, Keith wakes up, goes to school, comes home full of nervous energy he works out in a long run, and heads off to work after dinner. It becomes so rote that Kolivan doesn’t know how to react when it changes.

Keith strolls through the door on a rainy afternoon with his phone to his head. He doesn’t notice Kolivan seated at the dinner table behind his laptop.

“Yeah, Hunk, I know. But like, I _don’t know._ What’s his angle?”

Keith goes quiet, listening to the hum of his best friend’s voice over the phone line. Kolivan likes Hunk, always has. He’s a good man, jovial in nature and fiercely loyal. These are traits Kolivan and his entire family line admire. It came as no surprise to him that Keith chose him as his best friend. They compliment and support each other in ways that Kolivan is genuinely a little unsure as to how. It’s almost as if they reside on their own wavelength, and everyone else has to just sit back and watch.

“Okay, I get that, but why _me_ , you know?”

Hunk goes off again in the background, and his voice becomes clearer as Keith wanders into the living room and flings himself down on the couch. Kolivan is still at the dinner table, very much pretending to work, and very much not doing that at all. It’s a wonder Keith doesn’t look over and see him in the dining room. He decides to take advantage of the situation while he can. He hunches his shoulders a bit, making himself as small as he possibly can in his chair.

“I mean, I guess, but I still don’t get it.”

He leans back against the cushions of the couch, throwing a hand over his eyes as Hunk tries his best to reassure him over the line. It’s a valiant effort, Kolivan must admit. But Keith is in his signature pose of rejection. In this state, he’ll never accept a word the poor boy says to him.

There’s a pause over the line before Hunk’s voice sounds again; a much shorter statement this time. Keith goes stiff in his seat.

“Lance can suck my ass.”

Hunk’s raucous laughter sounds out through the speaker. Abruptly, it stops and a new voice takes over. It’s husky and feminine - Pidge, Kolivan recognizes. She says something short and clipped. Even though Kolivan still can’t quite make out the words, he can feel the annoyance oozing out of every syllable.

“Pidge, _no,_ ” Keith answers her, horrified. “I can’t.”

She says something else, all traces of irritation erased from her voice. She speaks to him in the tone one would use with a frightened kitten - light and non-threatening, a kind tone meant to relax. Keith’s shoulders creep up to his ears. The longer she speaks, the higher they climb, until finally, she says a final few words and he drops them with a sigh.

“I know, but-”

Twin buzzing from the earpiece as both of Keith’s friends descend upon him again.

“Yeah, okay, but-”

_Buzz buzz buzz._

“Guys, I get it, but-”

_Buzz buzzbuzzbuzz buzz._

“Would you please just let me-”

_BUZZ BUZZ BUZZ._

Pause.

_Buzz._

“Alright, fine. I’ll let him take me to dinner.”

Ah. So that’s it.

“It would seem our boy has a suitor,” Thace whispers in Kolivan’s ear, effectively scaring him out of his skin.

Kolivan turns in his chair, finding him crouched next to him on the floor. The very top of his head pokes up over the surface of the dinner table. Not at all suspicious. It’s a good thing nobody knows any better, because if anyone were to see the two of them now, they would certainly never take them for the covert specialists they are.

“Darling. My love. My moon. I swear if you don’t stop sneaking up on me, I will personally remove each and every fingernail you own,” Kolivan croons sweetly.

“It would be an honor,” Thace answers seriously. “But perhaps we should save the foreplay for later. For now, our nephew is the bigger issue, wouldn’t you agree?”

Kolivan sighs. Of course he is. Keith has never been so tripped up over another man before. They’ve watched him grow, seen him chase and be chased, but it’s always been with a certain air of ease about him. Keith is confident in who he is. Romantic attraction has always seemed to be a secondhand sort of quality for him. This flustered behavior is new.

“Sure. I mean, I guess,” Keith says. His eyes are closed now, and he frowns into his phone. “It’s just _weird_ , you know? Nobody’s ever come after me like this. It’s...I don’t know how I feel about it.”

Pidge commandeers the conversation, speaking slowly.

“Okay, well now I feel like a dumbass, so thanks,” Keith mumbles at her.

She and Hunk both laugh in response. A few more words are spoken and the tension dissipates from Keith completely.

“Yeah, alright. See you later.” Keith hangs up and shoves his head between his knees, groaning into the couch cushion beneath him. Thace shifts around on his knees. Kolivan places a steadying hand on his shoulder, if only to keep him quiet. Carpet is very often loud when you don’t want it to be.

“I know you’re in there,” Keith grumbles. “I heard you the whole time.”

Thace pokes his head up over the table.

“Well, in that case, tell us everything and quickly, please. We’ve been speculating for ages.”

Keith sighs, a bone-deep defeated thing, and slumps back into the couch.

“I ran into this guy on campus a few months ago, right? He asked for my number, which is whatever, it happens. I thought he was cute, so I gave it to him. But he didn’t want to just...hook up and go? Like everyone else? _Oh my god,_ ” Keith’s voice tapers off into a whisper. He shoves his face into his hands. “I can’t believe I’m telling you this.”

“Please, Keith,” Kolivan says, dropping next to him on the couch. “You being...active is hardly new.”

“Okay, but that doesn’t mean we _talk about it_ ,” Keith groans.

“This is true,” Thace agrees.

“Be that as it may, we’re getting off topic,” Kolivan counters, voice stern. “Please, Keith.”

Another put upon sigh.

“Okay, so we haven’t.”

“You haven’t what?” Kolivan asks, arching an eyebrow.

“Hooked up. Or gone.”

“Well, what have you done?” Thace asks.

“Talked.”

“ _Talked._ ”

“Yes.”

“Is this slang? I cannot keep up with the new language.”

“Holy shit, Thace. It’s not slang. We’ve literally just talked. Studied some? He’s asked me out a few times.”

Now they’re getting somewhere. If Kolivan was a more improprietous man, he’d rub his hands together. Instead, he settles for the dignified approach, like a good uncle should.

“And have you gone out with him?”

“Obviously not.”

“And why not? Do you like him?”

Another sigh. Honestly, Kolivan thinks, if the boy sighs anymore, he’s likely to throw himself into hyperventilation.

“I do like him. I really like him. Which is why I haven’t gone out with him.”

“Ah, of course,” Thace answers. “Well, that makes perfect sense.”

No. No it doesn’t.

“And it would seem - if I eavesdropped correctly - that you have finally decided to allow him to take you out?” Thace clarifies.

“Yeah.”

“Why is that?”

“He made it pretty clear that he wouldn’t give up on me. And like, it’s not that I want him to. I just-I dunno, I don’t think I’m really worth the effort.”

“What?” Kolivan asks incredulously. He flinches at his own tone.

“He’s just...he’s really great, you guys.” Keith’s eyes go all dreamy and distant. It’s a new look on him. The last time his face did anything of the sort, he was ten-years-old, sitting on Kolivan’s lap as they watched a rocket launch together on a summer vacation. “I’m not bullshitting you when I say he’s way outta my league.”

“You may not be bullshitting us, but you’re certainly bullshitting yourself,” Thace says. And that’s a surprise. Thace doesn’t curse. Thace rarely scolds. That’s Kolivan’s job. But here they are, on the couch listening to their nephew’s love woes and just absolutely Dr. Phil-ing the hell out of him. Really, for two guys who were wholly unprepared for parenthood, Kolivan thinks they’re doing a pretty good job.

“What?” Keith asks, confusion laced over the words.

“Keith,” Thace goes on, setting a heavy hand on his shoulder, “listen to me. You are an incredible young man. You’re brilliant, talented, driven. You’re handsome. People tend to be interested in that.”

Keith scoffs.

“What I’m saying here is that you should give yourself some allowance. Of course this guy-what’s his name?”

“Shiro.”

 _Shiro._ Kolivan narrows his eyes at the name.

“Shiro. Of course Shiro would be interested in you. You’re more than worthy of being someone’s partner. And anyway, it’s just a date, right?”

Keith sighs.

“He’s really hot.”

“Welp,” Thace says. He stands from the couch with his hands on his hips. “That’s my cue to go.”

Keith snorts as Thace leaves the room. Kolivan reaches out to ruffle Keith’s hair. It flashes him back to younger, more innocent days where the worst Keith worried about was the extinction of bees and which dinosaur he was most like.

“You’ll be fine, Keith.”

Keith looks up at him with big, nervous eyes, and _god, he’s so young._ He’s only twenty with his whole life spread out before him - the brightest of futures - and all Kolivan can see is scraped elbows and knees and a little boy with a crooked bike helmet shooting off recklessly down the street.

“Thanks, Kolivan.”

Kolivan smiles softly at him as he stands from the couch.

“Any time.”

Thace returns, settling in Keith’s abandoned place as they listen to Keith make a phone call.

“Hey. It’s me.”

A warm voice, deep and delighted, pours through the receiver.

“You still wanna grab dinner?”

A pause. Excited chatter.

“Yeah, yeah okay,” Keith answers, and Kolivan can hear the smile painted across his voice. “I’ll see you then.”

A question.

“Sure, okay.”

Something short.

“Yeah,” Keith laughs nervously. “Yeah, bye.”

Keith walks softly upstairs and emerges a few minutes later dressed in compression leggings and a tank top.

“Back in an hour!” he calls as he shuts the door.

Kolivan sits quietly next to Thace, contemplating his entire life and the choices that led him here. Thace reaches out for his hand, rubbing a thumb over his clenched knuckles until they relax. He stews over their decisions as makeshift parents, all the things they did to get Keith to where he is now. He thinks about the achievements, the arguments, the changes.

He watches Keith grow in his mind’s eye, his fashion and hair and speech growing right along with him. The changes flux and progress until they finally butt up against the Keith they have now, talking quietly into his phone with the new boy he has a date with. If Kolivan focuses hard enough, he can see the blush that dusts just across the tops of Keith’s cheekbones when he’s flustered. He thinks about what this boy could possibly be like to throw Keith off so entirely.

He sighs, cutting his eyes over to Thace.

“I don’t like him.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> surprise!
> 
> we're seeing this through until we meet the dads.

It’s a strange thing, watching someone in your care change emotionally. It’s particularly strange when it’s a rough and tumble boy you never thought would find someone that could make him act irrationally. Kolivan has always prided himself on his ability to impart wisdom and direction to Keith. All throughout his unique childhood, the one thing Kolivan has always known Keith could depend upon was his ability to remain stalwart in the face of surprises and adversity. It’s the one thing he’s never thought twice about.

Now, though, Kolivan finds himself doubting everything he’s ever done, as he watches Keith actively throw his lessons out the proverbial window while throwing all of his clothing into the literal washing machine.

“Keith,” Kolivan tries as patiently as a tortured man can muster, “may I ask what, exactly, you are doing?”

Keith stops briefly, turning around to look at Kolivan as though he’s asked the most ridiculous question the boy had ever heard. Kolivan stomps down the intense urge to pinch the bridge of his nose.

“I’m doing my laundry,” Keith deadpans.

The urge goes rabid, biting at Kolivan’s toes.

“I can see that. _Why_ are you doing your laundry? I know for a fact that half of those clothes were washed just last week.”

“I mean, yeah, but that was last week. I need...look, they just need to be clean, okay?”

The urge is clawing and gnawing and thrashing below his heels.

“I fail to understand how clothes that were washed last week - which, by the way, I have not seen you wear all of - need rewashing. You haven’t done anything particularly taxing lately, have you? Nothing requiring multiple quick-changes?”

Keith sighs, flapping his arms out beside himself in exasperation. Kolivan’s hands flex against his will.

“Okay, but they don’t _smell_ clean. I need them to smell clean.”

Kolivan sets the urge free and pinches his nose with reckless abandon.

“Keith.”

“Kolivan.”

“ _Keith._ ”

“Thace.” Kolivan doesn’t even jump at the new voice. He’s getting better at taking the surprises in stride. Instead, he squeezes his fingers tighter as Thace continues from where he magically appeared in the doorway of the washroom. “Is there a specific reason we’re saying our names?”

Kolivan releases his hand from his face.

“Yes. Your nephew-”

“ _My_ nephew? Last I checked, _your_ blood runs through his veins.”

Kolivan ignores that truth.

“-has decided that he needs to rewash all of his clothing.”

“Really?” Thace asks with a turn of his mouth. “Didn’t you do laundry last week?”

“ _Thank you,_ ” Kolivan breathes.

“I did, but that was last week. It’s gotta smell fresh. Pidge said it’s gotta smell fresh.”

Thace looks at Kolivan, cheek twitching. There’s a certain air he gets about himself just before he entirely destroys Kolivan’s peace. It’s there on his face, a little crinkle to the side of his eye, dimples that only carve themselves deep when he’s trying not to laugh. Like a warning tremor before an earthquake, the expression always slides across his face before smoothing right back out into a mask of coolness.

“And why does it need refreshing?” Thace asks with an air of knowing. Kolivan realizes in this moment that he already knows why, of course he does. Which begs the question: what did Kolivan forget?

“Uh.”

Keith turns pink, clutching the jeans in his hands with sudden ferocity. His eyes slide to the floor, refusing to meet Thace’s inquisitive gaze.

“Well, Keith?” he prods. “Why?”

“It’s, um. It’s becauseofmydatetonight.”

“I’m sorry, because of what now?”

Keith clears his throat and raises his head, glaring defiantly into the middle distance.

“My date. It’s because of my date tonight.”

Kolivan’s heart drops to his feet. Thace smiles serenely before him.

“Ah, yes, that’s what I thought.”

“You knew about this?” Kolivan demands. He tries not to furrow his brows, but it’s so hard. His face twitches with the need. But that’s a weakness. He absolutely cannot allow Keith to see it again.

“Yes, of course I did. You did too, but I suspect you’ve been blocking it from your mind? You do recall the phone conversation _your_ nephew had last week, yes?”

Ah, that. Kolivan had, indeed, been blocking it from his recollection. The emphasis on the ‘your’ feels a bit unwarranted, but Kolivan chooses to let it slide.

“Forgetting this phone call, why does Pidge say all of your clothes need to be re-washed?”

Keith heaves a world-weary sigh as he tosses the jeans in the machine and starts it up.

“She didn’t say that.”

“Yet here you are, washing all of your clothing because Pidge, and I quote, ‘said it’s gotta smell fresh’,” Kolivan reminds him.

“Right, but she didn’t say to wash all of my laundry.”

“I think what your uncle is getting at, little one,” Thace blessedly butts in, “is that he does not understand _why_ you’re washing all of your laundry if you will only be wearing one outfit.”

“Yes,” Kolivan agrees.

“Ah,” Keith says eloquently. “She said my outfit has to smell fresh.”

The urge returns to Kolivan, three days removed from the wilderness. It’s fed upon the flesh of the innocent, bathed in the blood of mortals, grown, shed, and re-grown an exoskeleton. Its knuckles crack and split under the weight of the death grip it now holds around Kolivan’s shoulders. He is but a host, he cannot fight it. He pinches the bridge of his nose again.

“But I haven’t decided what to wear yet.”

“I must go,” Kolivan announces.

He turns around and marches right out of the house for a walk around the neighborhood.

 

+++

 

“Hello there.”

“Thace, I need to speak with you.”

“Yes, I assumed so, but now is not a good time.”

Thace has been away on assignment for three days already. That means Kolivan has been home alone for three days. That is a lie. Kolivan has been home with Keith for three days. Being home alone would be a blessing he seems incapable of receiving. Keith sighs from the kitchen.

“Thace, please. Keith is-”

“Dearheart, I adore you. You mean so much to me. I love you more than anything in this world. But, I’m rather busy at the moment.”

“I know where they sent you,” Kolivans informs him. “You are not busy in the least.”

A heavy grunt sounds through the phone, followed by a muffled thud. Thace mutters something along the lines of _for the love of God, just stay down,_ before the rustling of fabric sends the phone line fuzzy and finally, “Well, I’m not anymore, anyway. Now what is this about Keith?”

The aforementioned boy traipses from the kitchen into the living room, plopping lightly on the couch with a glass of orange juice clutched in one hand and his phone in the other. The television stays off. He has no schoolwork with him. It’s just him, a refreshing glass of citrus extract, and the current bane of Kolivan’s existence. The soulless _click click click_ of digital keys sounds out through the quiet room as Keith types away.

Kolivan hunkers down behind his laptop. The action sends an involuntary shudder down his spine. Like a war flashback, he remembers himself in this exact position naught but two weeks ago. Confused, hiding, trying his best to scry the meaning of Keith’s behaviors from the polished surface of their walnut dinner table as he whispers to his husband.

“He’s...behaving in a certain way.”

“Aren’t we all?” Thace mutters, the phone line crackling with his low voice. “In what way is he behaving?”

The clicking of the keys on Keith’s phone pauses. He sighs again. Kolivan feels three more years fall away from his lifespan.

“He’s been on his phone a lot more than is usual. There is heavy sighing. In voluminous amounts. I am concerned.”

Thace laughs warmly through the receiver. Kolivan’s chest pangs at the sound. There is nothing he loves quite so much as his husband’s amusement. It pains him to not be there with him as he experiences it.

“Young love,” Thace soothes. “It will die down.”

“No, Thace. I am not an idiot. I know young love. I was young once. I was young _and_ in love once! I know how these things usually go. This is different than that.”

“You can hardly call our love story usual.”

This is a fair argument. Not many people meet and nearly gun down the love of their life in a severe misunderstanding somewhere in the middle of Morocco. All things told, it was very romantic. Kolivan shakes the memory from his head.

“That isn’t the point!” Kolivan splutters into the receiver. “This is very unlike him.”

“Well, you’re not wrong there,” Thace answers. “Hold on a tick.”

More rustling from the background, a new thud sounds out, but from farther away this time. Shortly after, a fresh grunt from Thace. A sharply growled _I thought I said to stay down_ chases it. Kolivan enjoys it immensely when Thace goes all grunts and growls. It’s rather rare for them these days.

“Okay, I’m back.”

“Right.”

“What do you need from me? I don’t come home for another five days.”

“I am aware. I just-”

Keith drains his glass of juice and sets the cup down on the coffee table. He pushes his shoes off his feet and reclines across the couch cushions, phone suspended above his face. He hasn’t sat that way since he was a child, looking at picture books about space and astronaut dogs. His phone lights up, and so does his face. A soft smile creeps across his lips, a dusting of pink coloring his cheeks and ears. Kolivan knows what he must do.

“Wait.”

He takes his own phone down from his ear, switching it quickly to the camera and ensuring it’s set to silent. He snaps a surreptitious photo of Keith and sends it right off to Thace before putting his phone back up to his head. Across the line, he hears the light chime of Thace receiving a message.

“Hmm? Oh.” The phone line goes dull as Thace pulls it down to look and a few seconds later, he’s ugly-laughing through the line. “Our boy is smitten!”

“What?” Kolivan asks. He’s not ignorant. He knows what infatuation is, he knows what kids look like when they’re in love. That’s not the problem. The problem is seeing it on _Keith._ As far as Kolivan knew, Keith was incapable of producing such behavior. He’s always been a good kid, never caused trouble, always excelled. He’s also never really been the kind to sit around and moon over boys.

“Yes, well, maybe he just needed the right boy,” Thace answers. Kolivan didn’t realize he had even said it out loud. He sighs at himself. Keith sighs from the couch. Kolivan sees his future. Him and his Victorian cliche of a nephew, lying about the house and sighing while their men are away. It’s a bleak picture.

Keith’s phone rings in his hand. He smiles again before answering.

“Hello?” A semi-familiar voice rumbles across the line. “Hey, Shiro. Oh, yeah, no you’re fine.”

He stands from the couch, scratching at his stomach, and wanders off to his room upstairs. Kolivan slides his eyes shut.

“Well? Are we over the heartsickness?” Thace asks across the line. “He’s a grown young man. He’ll be fine.”

“Right. You’re right.”

“I know. We’ll get through this, don’t you worry.”

A sudden boom sounds out through the phone, Thace unleashing a torrent of curses in its wake. A few gunshots go off, close enough to the receiver for Kolivan to know that they were from Thace’s own weapon. The rhythmic thudding of boots plodding over the ground beats a steady soundtrack for a minute until Thace’s heaving breath plays out across the line.

“Alright,” he says jaggedly. “I think we’re fine now, yeah?”

“Yes, I think so.” Keith laughs loud from upstairs. Kolivan flinches. “Fine enough, anyway.”

“Great. Like I said, don’t worry.”

More gunfire from the background.

“I never do,” Kolivan answers.

“Good. I love you.”

The line goes silent just as another explosion crashes through the speaker. Kolivan heads to the kitchen to make some tea.

 

+++

 

It’s nearing the end of Keith’s fall semester when _it_ happens.

Kolivan has no way of explaining the feeling, nor does he think he’d be able to recount it, should anyone ever want to record his life. All he knows is one day, Keith comes home, and his entire life shifts several degrees off-center.

Keith trundles through the door, phone pressed to his ear.

“Hunk, I have no idea what that means.”

Kolivan crooks a brow over the edge of his magazine. Keith waves lightly to him on the couch as he plunges deeper into the house to continue his conversation.

“No, I’m telling you that’s not what happened.”

Keith pauses as Hunk asks a question.

“Not exactly.”

Another question.

“Not entirely.”

More speaking.

“I don’t give a good goddamn what Lance wants to know. That’s up to me, and honestly? I don’t really think he deserves to know any details about _anything_ with the way he’s been acting.”

Hunk says something plaintive to Keith, Kolivan can tell, because his shoulders sag a little.

“Look, I know. I get that, I do. But like, this is _my_ life, _not_ his. Just because he has a weird crush on my boyfriend doesn’t mean I owe him anything!”

Kolivan’s eyebrow raises again. _Boyfriend?_ They’re boyfriends now? He wonders if Thace knows about this development. That thought is quickly stricken from the record. Who is he kidding, of _course_ Thace will know. He always seems to.

“Fine, hero worship, whatever. Either way you slice it, I don’t have to put up with this.”

Hunk says something placating. Keith sighs.

“Look, I know. I just. Today’s been long and I really didn’t need Lance’s horseshit on top of it. This should have been a really good day, you know? Like, in the upper echelon of days. Top five at _least._ Lance took that from me.”

Hunk says something else, much softer than before.

“Yeah, dude. I know. I just need a few days.”

They hang up and Keith wanders into the living room to join Kolivan on the couch. He’s carrying two mugs and offers one up as he sits at the other end with a sigh. Kolivan peers into the cup to find his favorite oolong blend with a little slice of lemon floating on top. This does not bode well for Kolivan. In fact, this would be the perfect time for Thace to appear at his back out of nowhere.

They sit silently for a few minutes, Keith glaring a hole through his mug as Kolivan sips lightly at his own. As always, he trusts Keith to tell him what he wants when he needs to. Until then, he’s content to sit and drink his favorite blend in relative peace.

Keith’s phone rings, and he pulls it out from the depths of his pocket, snarling when he sees who it is. He chucks it clean across the room, the poor thing bouncing off the television stand.

“Not that I do not understand frustration, but that seems unnecessary.”

Keith sighs and ignores the phone call.

“It’s the most necessary thing I’ve done all day.”

“If you insist.”

They return to silence. Kolivan lets his mind wander, trying to piece together when, precisely, he became an anger counselor. Is this what parenting feels like? He’s hard pressed to tell, in all honesty. Keith always took an active role in raising himself. He never relied too heavily on Kolivan or Thace, only reaching out when absolutely needed. They only ever needed to step in to save a limb or teach a lesson. It’s something Kolivan can understand. Keith sighs and retrieves his phone from the floor.

“You know, you’ve been doing a lot of that these past few months,” Kolivan points out.

“A lot of what?”

“Sighing,” Kolivan answers nonchalantly, flipping a page in his magazine and taking a fresh sip of his tea. “It must be tiring.”

Keith chuckles from beside him.

“Can I be honest with you, Kolivan?”

“Keith, you are physically incapable of lying to me. But please, go on.”

“Dating is weird.”

Ah. Here it is. Time to shine. At the very least, time to take Thace’s advice and relax. Maybe tell a story from when they were young and navigating the world of courting a new partner. A time of flowers and movies, running down dark alleys, throwing knives in their wake. That was a simpler time, Kolivan thinks. Everything made sense then. Now? Now Kolivan prays every day when he wakes up to find a new assignment in his inbox. He could really use the break.

“Yes, I can imagine it _is_ weird,” Kolivan answers instead. “Dating in the digital age and all that.”

Keith groans beside him.

“Kolivan.”

“Why, when I was your age, Thace and I had to trudge five miles both ways to a payphone to call each other. On an actual telephone. With a cord. Where we had to stand still.”

It’s not far off from the truth. Kolivan decides to leave out the details regarding what time of day they had to call, where exactly the phone was situated, or the code they needed to use for the first six months of their relationship. No sense in spinning Keith up more.

“Kolivan, please.”

“Yes, in those days, we had to make plans in person. None of this snapping or poking or whatever it is you kids do.”

Okay, maybe just a little sense in spinning Keith up. He has to get his kicks in where he can.

“ _Kolivan._ ”

“I am joking, Keith. Please. Tell me all about your dating woes. Should I braid your hair?”

Keith sets his mug down on the coffee table.

“...Yeah. Yeah, I’d like that.”

It’s not until he has his fingers sunk knuckle-deep into the thick tresses that Kolivan realizes just how much he missed this little bit of their relationship. As far back as he can remember, he and Keith took joy in the act, soothing and secondhand as it was. Any time Keith needed room to breathe, or a moment to think, he would plop down in Kolivan’s lap with a comb and sink into the cushions as they talked out his problems. They don’t do it often now, Keith being grown and able to handle most things on his own, but Kolivan treasures it whenever they do. Something at the back of his mind itches, a writhing little thought that this may be one of the last times he’ll have this opportunity.

Keith remains quiet for the entirety of the braiding process, breathing slow and quiet. His phone goes ignored as he works through whatever it is he has on his mind. Kolivan completes the weaving, tucking the ends of his hair back around themselves. When he finishes, he picks up his long-cold tea, and takes a sip.

“Shiro said he loves me today.”

Keith’s fresh braid goes matted and sticky as Kolivan sprays his tea all over the boy’s head.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> an interlude

Keith is twelve the first time he asks how Kolivan and Thace met. It’s a bittersweet moment for Kolivan. Keith is still so young, with an innocence that he fiercely wishes to preserve, and it proves difficult for Kolivan to balance the truth of their meeting with the need to protect his nephew from the reality of his employment.

“Why do you want to know, Keith?”

“I mean, everyone else was talking about their parents in school today, so I wanted to ask.”

Kolivan pauses momentarily, just to absorb the fact that Keith referred to Thace and him as his parents, and then tries his best to calculate a good angle he can approach the story from.

“Okay, then, if you really must know.”

“I must,” Keith mimics with squeaking syllables.

“Alright. Well, we first met when I was on a business trip in Morocco.”

 

_The summer sun was sweltering against Kolivan’s back. Sweat dripped and pooled beneath his black bodysuit. His hood was perforated for ease of vision, but it did nothing to protect from the onslaught of humidity he swam through. His limbs were heavy and unwieldy as he ran down cobblestone streets toward the heart of the city._

 

“I remember it was hot as blazes. You would not believe the heat there. When I met your uncle, I was dripping so much sweat I had to wring out my shirt that night.”

 

 _He’d been running for nearly an hour, his feet screaming from within his boots. The bag he kept slung around his shoulder slapped harshly against his back with each pounding step, and he knew, he just_ knew _that something terrible was yet to come. Kolivan was no stranger to the perils his Blade assignments presented. His scars and broken bones demonstrated intimately the vulnerability of his position. Still, he had a job to do, and he knew there was no one better equipped for the task._

_Onward he pressed, haphazardly turning corners, always keeping one eye over his shoulder. Gunshots rang out behind him, bullets whizzing past his head and embedding themselves into bricks older than himself. Spitting curses, Kolivan ducked down behind a low garden wall, hoping his assailants wouldn’t notice and continue running._

 

“I was in the middle of a business trip. It wasn’t going well.”

 

_True to his instincts, the Galra agents continued on running, trampling past him with guns raised high, still shooting at an invisible target. Kolivan huffed quietly, rolling his eyes. He knew Galrans weren’t very intelligent, but he hadn’t expected such a shameful display. Their tactics were unpolished, sloppy at best._

 

“I was annoyed, because the company I was doing business with wasn’t prepared for me at all. You won’t understand this until you’re older, Keith, but if there’s one thing that will annoy a professional most, it’s lack of preparation.”

“I don’t like that _now._ ”

“Then you understand my frustration.”

 

_Still, Kolivan counted his blessings. It’s not every day you got a break in this business. He’d take whatever opportunity he was given. He counted to fifteen, giving himself just enough time to break away from the pack that had been nipping at his heels. He breathed in deep, readjusted his hood, and rolled out from behind his cover, taking off in the opposite direction. As he ran, he calculated in his head the new route he would need to take to get to his goal. The drop site was placed in a warehouse deep in the industrial section of the city, which meant that since he could no longer approach from the back, he’d need to try and slip through the side somehow. This was easier said than done._

 

“After I hit a roadblock in negotiations, I had to come up with a new tactic for approaching the situation. This was where your uncle came in.”

“He came up with the solution?”

“...Not at first.”

 

_As Kolivan rounded another corner, he lost his focus, peering over his shoulder one last time. An ill-advised move, really. A basic mistake taught on damn near the first day of academy. Either way, Kolivan wasn’t paying attention as he turned around a new building, slamming immediately into the broad chest of another man. Before his ass hit pavement, he had his piece drawn, barrel pointed directly at the offending chest. It was irrelevant. The other man had a gun drawn on him, too._

_Unlike Kolivan, the man was dressed in a plain suit, grey fabric tailored perfectly and accented nicely with a deep purple tie and pocket square. At the very least, Kolivan took some solace in the fact that his death would come at the hands of a man with good taste._

 

“See, your uncle wasn’t supposed to be there. He ended up involved in the meeting as an afterthought.”

 

_Kolivan cocked his gun, hissing from his position on the ground. The stranger raised an eyebrow at him._

_“I hardly think you’re in the position to be spitting venom, Kolivan.”_

_Kolivan had no idea how the man knew his name, especially when he was still fully covered. He flicked the barrel of his gun just over the man’s shoulder and fired a warning shot. The other man didn’t even flinch. Kolivan ignored how handsome he was upon first viewing, but his lack of fear made him unbearably attractive in that moment. If he wasn’t in such a compromising position, Kolivan might have kicked his own ass for the thought._

 

“The very first thing he did was mock me.”

“And you married him?”

“Not immediately.” Keith makes a confused noise at the back of his throat. “Your uncle is very attractive, Keith.”

“Gross.”

“For you, perhaps.”

 

_“Who the fuck are you?” Kolivan demanded. Again, no position to be making threats, but Kolivan was nothing if not a prodigy at making reckless decisions._

_The man sighed and holstered his weapon, offering a hand down to Kolivan. He eyed it skeptically, opting to stand of his own accord and brush himself off. The man sighed again._

_“My name is Thace. I’m here from HQ. I’ve been looking for you, actually.”_

_Kolivan whipped his head up at that. Nobody from HQ ever ventured out into the field. Their skills and knowledge were considered too precious to endanger. If this man had been sent from HQ directly to Kolivan, then something very wrong was happening. From what he understood, a field visit from HQ only meant one of two things: a delivery or decommissioning. Kolivan wouldn’t go down without a fight._

 

“Corporate had sent him to assist me with the job. This is something else you will realize as you get older: corporate entities are very often faceless.”

“...Okay?”

“This means I did not know who your uncle was or where he was from at first. I initially thought he was there to remove me from the job.”

“And you _married_ him?”

“Later, yes.”

“I don’t understand adults.”

“That is fine. Neither do we.”

 

_“You can relax,” the stranger said, eyeballing Kolivan’s fist clenched tightly around his pistol. “I’m not here to decommission you.”_

_Kolivan only relaxed a few degrees before holding out his empty hand and demanding, “Prove it.”_

_The stranger startled._

_“What?”_

_Kolivan flapped his fingers to his palm, a sharp gesture._

_“Prove it. Credentials.”_

_“Oh!”_

 

“I made him show me his corporate identification.”

“How romantic.”

 

_After glancing at the man’s - Thace, according to his ID - badge, Kolivan relaxed, holstering his weapon._

_“Why are you here?”_

_In answer, Thace stooped down to pick up a briefcase Kolivan hadn’t noticed previously. God, he was just as bad as the Galrans that day._

_“You don’t know me-”_

_“I’m aware.”_

_“-but I’m the head of R and D for the Blade. I’m a weapons specialist, to be precise.”_

_Kolivan eyed the man head to toe, processing the information._

 

“He had developed a new tool we could use to more efficiently make our case.”

“What, like a powerpoint or something?”

“Or something.”

 

_Thace flipped the case open, offering it out to Kolivan. Inside was a simple black baton, roughly two feet long. It had a nondescript handle and rounded head. To the average eye, it was nothing. A regular police tool made to keep a crowd in check. Kolivan didn’t have just anyone’s eyes, however. He had an agent’s eyes, specially trained for analyzing detail._

_“What is this really? There are seams here at the end.”_

_Thace’s face lit up in a smile._

_“Would you like to see why I came to you as soon as I completed it?”_

_Kolivan’s curiosity burned, the desire to know engulfing him. Thace’s smiled broadened, sensing his weakening resolve._

_“I brought you the prototype. You’re the only agent with this one.”_

_That sealed it._

 

“As it turned out, your uncle was something of a savant with corporate tool development. He’d heard of my success in the field, but thought that he could help me be more efficient. So he made this new presentation tool and sought me out directly for testing.”

“So he had a crush on you?”

“Hmm, maybe so. That is a question you would have to ask him yourself.”

 

_“Fine. Stay at my back. We’re almost to the drop.”_

_“Yes, sir.”_

_The smile on Thace’s face sharpened, turning into something flirty, and Kolivan had to lecture his innards to stop squirming. Really, the field was no place for this type of behavior. He shook the distraction from his head and began running again, Thace hot on his heels._

_The streets remained suspiciously silent as they traveled, nothing but the sound of their shoes slapping pavement and their ragged breaths ringing in their ears. There was no protection on the warehouse as they slowed and made a silent approach. Kolivan signaled for Thace to crouch and follow him as he entered the steel building from the side._

 

“We finally arrived at the point at which we could collect some useful information when we hit a roadblock with the other company.”

 

_Entering the warehouse was simple, a cakewalk, really. A shadow gathered at the back of Kolivan’s mind, a creeping doubt that prickled at his nerves and raised his hackles._

_“Something is wrong.”_

_“Yes,” Thace agreed, pulling the prototype weapon from its case and sliding it into Kolivan’s hand. “When I say so, aim the end and set your thumb in the indentation on the handle.”_

_Kolivan nodded his understanding and palmed the weapon. Reaching into his bag, he grabbed his GPS unit from the bottom, flicking it on to track down the signal set to mark the location of the thumb drive he was to retrieve._

 

“You see, the company I was meeting with had some information my company desperately needed. I was our best negotiator. But even the best require assistance from time to time.”

“Thace was your help?”

“His tool got me out of there with exactly what I had gone in for.”

 

_Kolivan was unfamiliar with the informant he had been in contact with for the job. All he knew was that the woman’s tip had proven useful, and so he was dispatched to a rotting warehouse in the middle of Morocco. He’d never visited the place before, and although he viewed much of it at a speedy pace, he dearly wished he could have enjoyed it._

_As he cautiously crept into the room housing the drive, alarms rang out through the building._

_“Shit! Did you know this building was rigged?” Thace shouted over the sound._

_“No,” Kolivan hissed, snapping up the drive and exiting the room. “But we better get a move on.”_

_The two ran from the room, barreling their way toward the exit. As they turned down the final hallway, they skidded to a halt. In front of them stood at least thirty Galra members, blocking the way to the door. Kolivan cursed under his breath at their luck. He should have known their agents had gone down too simply, been far too easily fooled. It had been a ruse to lull him into false security, and what was worse was that it had worked._

 

“At first, I didn’t think I would be successful. The situation turned hostile, as those things sometimes do.”

“Business meetings?”

“Another thing you will learn as you get older, young one, is that adults can be quite ruthless over their business interests.”

“Adults are weird.”

“Yes, I should think we are.”

 

_Thace slammed into Kolivan’s back, sliding the thumb drive out of his hand as he took a step back to regain himself and whisper in Kolivan’s ear._

_“I’ll upload this information, you use the weapon.”_

_“What?” Kolivan hissed back. He didn’t know what the weapon did, or how to control it. He was curious, sure, but he’d much rather test something like this on a range or in an open space._

_“Just trust me.”_

 

“Still, your uncle asked me to trust him and use the presentation tool he brought. I could not refuse him.”

“You say that a lot.”

“Your uncle is difficult to refuse.”

“Ultra gross.”

 

_Kolivan took in a deep steadying breath, ignoring the shouts of the opposing agency’s operatives, and raised the baton. He gently set his thumb in the designated notch and raised the tip, aiming directly for the center of the throng. For a moment, nothing happened. The Galran agents stood in confusion as they regarded the baton in Kolivan’s hand._

_Behind him, Thace whispered encouragements to the thumb drive as he transferred its data, presumably to the standard-issued tablet that all Blades received._

_Suddenly, the tip of the baton roared to life, blazing bright with a blue hot light. The seams at the end spread open wide, flaring out as a concentrated blast shot forth from the end. With a tooth-rattling explosion, a missile of laser light rocketed out, scattering Galran agents every which way. Bodies flew away from the door, tumbling like ragdolls._

_Kolivan paused, staring in confusion down at the baton as it returned to its relatively harmless sleep state. He didn’t even argue when Thace took his hand and dragged him from the building, laughing._

_“I told you there was a reason I brought it to you!”_

 

“Nevertheless, Thace’s tool was extremely effective. Nobody could argue with the results. We left the meeting as successful as I can ever recall being in a negotiation that taxing.”

“So, you had a meeting. It sucked. He came to the meeting and made it better.”

“Language, Keith. But yes, that is essentially what happened.”

“Is that it?”

“No.”

 

_Standard operative procedure as dictated by the Blade of Marmora Agent Guidebook directs agents to lay low for three (3) days following a mission that does not go as planned. Kolivan and Thace were of the same mind that three (3) days seemed inordinately excessive. They decided to lay low for the night. Twelve (12) hours seemed like a good enough buffer._

_In the morning, as they prepared their bags to leave, Thace spun around from the bed of their hotel room and regarded Kolivan seriously._

 

“Did he ask you out?”

“He did.”

 

_“I read your file before leaving. You have never been to Morocco.”_

_“I have not.”_

_“I would like to take you for tea.”_

_“I can have tea any time.”_

_“True, but I can’t take you out on a first date for tea in Morocco without doing it in Morocco.”_

 

“Huh.”

“What?”

“I just kinda always thought you were the one that asked Uncle Thace out first.”

“I am a man of multitudes, Keith.”

“You were afraid.”

“Perhaps.”

 

_The sun was warm, rather than oppressive, as Kolivan and Thace sat down to tea that afternoon. Thace’s laughter was just as warm and comfortable. Given a proper chance, Kolivan was content to simply stop and stare, taking in the angles of the man’s face. Suddenly, Thace stiffened, reaching for his belt._

_Kolivan startled, berating himself for letting his guard down as Thace drew his pistol, aiming it directly at Kolivan’s head._

 

“We went out for tea. It was enjoyable. However, I had a suspicion that he was not being entirely truthful about who he was.”

“What do you mean?”

“Sometimes, people have their own motivation for doing the things they do. I had concerns that he was following his own directive, rather than our company's.”

“What did you do?”

“I tried to throw a plate at him.”

 

_Kolivan cursed himself for allowing his guard to drop so quickly. Of course it would make sense that Thace would attempt to double cross him. From what he understood, the package of information was extremely valuable. It would be a tempting infiltration for anyone._

_Without much to work with, Kolivan took up the plate his tea cookies had been resting on, dumping them unceremoniously to the ground and preparing to whip the porcelain at Thace’s throat. If anything, he could buy himself enough time to draw his own weapon._

_“Relax,” Thace murmured across the table, eyeballing the dainty plate clutched in Kolivan’s hand. “I would never destroy something so beautiful. Duck.”_

_Kolivan dropped down, bending his torso low over the surface of the table. Above his head, two shots rang out, bullets flying true. Two grunts and two thuds followed, but all Kolivan could see was Thace’s arm drawing back to settle his gun back in its holster._

_“You can get up now. I had assumed they would send better assassins, but here we are.”_

_Thace sounded amused, if anything. It was unbearably attractive._

 

“What did he do then?”

“He made fun of me.”

 

_“We should go now. If you trust me, that is.”_

_Kolivan huffed a dark breath._

_“Of course I trust you.”_

_“That plate you expertly lined up would say otherwise.”_

_“I had very little to work with.”_

_Thace looked him up and down._

_“I wouldn’t say that.”_

 

“And then he complimented me.”

“What? How does that even work?”

“Adults are weird, is that not what you said?”

 

+++

 

Keith is just past his twenty-first birthday when he asks how Kolivan knew he loved Thace. Kolivan knows, of course, that this is because the boy’s boyfriend told him he loved him recently. He wonders briefly if it’s possible that he could be experiencing menopause as a hot wave of _something_ rolls through his body. It isn’t anger, entirely. Nor is it his natural protective instinct. It’s something else totally. Something akin to fear. It’s tied up with worry and wistfulness and slight agitation over this entire Shiro chapter of their lives in general. Kolivan has never even met the boy and he’s already caused him so much stress. It’s a wonder, really.

“I will tell you, of course, but first I would like to know the motivation behind this question.”

Keith sighs another of his patented tortured sighs.

“I think you know why, Kolivan.”

“I may, yes. I need you to understand, Keith. You should not say the words unless they are words _you_ want to be said. Love is a tricky thing. You cannot coax it along.”

“I know that, Kolivan, c’mon,” Keith replies. “It’s just...look, I’ve never really been into someone the way I am with him? And I don’t really know what I’m doing here. So if you could help a confused guy out, that’d be really fuckin’ great.”

“ _Language, Keith._ And fine. If it will help you sort yourself out, I will tell you.”

“And don’t give the ‘Keith is twelve and asked how we met and I couldn’t tell the truth for some reason’ version. I want the real thing.”

“I will absolutely be honest with you.”

He absolutely will not.

 

_Kolivan was not an overtly emotional man. In his line of work, he couldn’t afford to display his feelings. Feelings were weakness and weakness could be exploited. Still, there was something about Thace that cracked him wide open and left his vulnerable guts spread out around him on the floor._

_It was difficult for Kolivan to balance the truth of his feelings with the need to protect himself._

 

“I was not - am not - an easy partner. I dealt with a lot of doubt, particularly in the early days. I was much like you, Keith.”

“So how’d you get over it?”

“The same as always.”

“Which was?”

“Thace.”

“Gross.”

 

_Eventually, as always happens, the truth won out. Kolivan wasn’t given a choice about it either._

_The call from HQ came through late one night as Kolivan was settling into bed with a good book. He was to be on the next flight out to Australia the next morning, no questions asked. He would be assigned a partner to work with, but wouldn’t find out who until they met for the flight. They were to play a married couple fresh on their honeymoon. Kolivan had never been assigned these roles before, he was never much good at faking romance. Naturally, this assignment would come up once he entered a relationship._

_Thace would appreciate the irony._

 

“We were sent on a business trip together.”

 

_Thace did appreciate the irony._

_“Oh, my dear. My love!” Thace calls across the terminal as Kolivan checks in. “How my dreams have been haunted by your beautiful visage! The ghosts of my feelings lay about, a spectre constantly manifesting themselves as a curse!”_

_“How poetic.”_

_“The flowers of my language cannot help but to bloom in the face - such a sweet face! - of my one true love!”_

_“We’re breaking up.”_

_“This I cannot allow!”_

_Kolivan ignored him clean up until boarding time. As they settled into their seats, the stewardess passed down the aisle, inconspicuously dropping an unmarked envelope in Kolivan’s lap. The instructions inside were simple, although executing them would not be._

 

“When we were given our task, we realized that it would be extremely difficult. It would test our skills in a way we had not been tested in quite some time.”

“You make it sound like life or death.”

“Business is a dog eat dog world, Keith.”

 

_As they flew, they put their plan together. They would check into their hotel, spend two days doing tourist activities to build a believable cover, and on the third night of their stay, they would strike. The purpose of their trip was to infiltrate a rival base, grab what intel they were able, and get out. A private helicopter would meet them approximately twenty minutes away from the base, and they would fly home from a private hangar the next night._

_Simple._

 

“We drew up the best possible plan of action, but still there were many unknown variables.”

 

_The night of their operation, they sat in silence, loading gun magazines and strapping knives to biceps and thighs. Thace assisted Kolivan in donning a custom chest holster for his (now standard-issue) blast baton and favorite handgun. In return, Kolivan adjusted the straps of Thace’s thigh holsters. The assistance wasn’t necessary, but the simple touches were._

_They were nervous. Neither of them knew how to voice the feeling._

 

“We went into the meeting extremely nervous. Sometimes, when you reach for something with an unknown outcome, no matter how prepared you are, it can feel as though you will not succeed no matter your preparation.”

“But you guys are the most detailed people I know.”

“I love you too, young one.”

“Ultra gross.”

 

_Getting in wasn’t an issue. In fact, it reminded Kolivan of the mission in which he first met Thace: much too simple, much too quick. He was proven correct._

_Kolivan and Thace spent some time rooting around offices, snatching up hard drives and scanning documents. Kolivan moved a briefcase and tripped an alarm, and that was that. Both drawing their weapons, they shared a quick glance and nod and took off through the complex._

 

“Things went a little sideways in negotiations. We ended up fielding more pressure than we had imagined going into the meeting.”

 

_Bullets and knives flew relentlessly in their direction as Kolivan and Thace stormed the halls. Men were shouting, calling for backup into earpieces, slamming open hidden wall panels to reach for more weaponry. For a moment, Kolivan thought about his life. He thought about the things he had done, the places he had seen, the people he had met. He casted a glance sideways at Thace only to find the man already looking at him, expression unreadable._

_Time suspended itself in the way it so often does when faced with a difficult situation. Kolivan and Thace stared each other down for the briefest of moments, and as if they had spoken telepathically, they nodded to each other in assent._

_Spinning until they were back to back, they fought and scraped and shot their way out. They made their way to the courtyard of the complex, calling in their situation to dispatch as they vaulted walls and fences to get away._

 

“Things got a bit...hairy.”

“What does that even mean?”

“Not all negotiations end well.”

“Well yeah, that’s life.”

“Mmmm yes, but that does not make the disappointment any less painful.”

 

_On their way down the road to meet their helicopter, the two were pursued heavily. Three jeeps full of agents, men on foot, even drones followed them in hot pursuit._

_“Hold this!” Thace shouted, thrusting his bag to Kolivan as they ran. Before Kolivan even realized what Thace had removed, he was already lobbing the grenades smoothly into each jeep. They landed expertly, exploding in fiery deluges, throwing shrapnel into the sky to precisely rain down on the drones. Soon, all that remained were the agents on foot. Soon, all they had left were knives._

 

“Even though things looked bleak, your uncle was right there alongside me. Every step of the way, he remained steadfast and sure.”

 

_Kolivan took the lead on throwing knives. He had always excelled at throwing with precision in academy, quickly becoming one of the agency’s best. His blades struck true, flying with light whistles through the night air. He was so focused on the agents at their back that he never noticed the agent approaching him from the side._

 

“We almost made it to the end of negotiations when I stumbled. Thace swept in at a crucial moment.”

 

_The air parted with a light breeze as a blade whizzed past Kolivan’s nose. He followed its path, watching with shock as it sank deep into the eye socket of the rapidly advancing agent. The agent dropped to the ground, and with that, their path was cleared._

_That was not the only thing that was cleared, however._

 

“He secured our success, and in that moment I knew I would never want another at my back.”

 

_Kolivan stopped running, turning to Thace abruptly. Thace stumbled in his steps, staring back at Kolivan quizzically._

_“What’s wrong? Are you hurt? We need to keep moving!”_

_Kolivan waved a dismissive hand, adrenaline soaking his nerves._

_“Yes yes, we will. But first, this.”_

_Kolivan shot a hand out, grabbing Thace by the collar and hauling him in for a bruising kiss. The night wind kicked up dust all around them, coating the hems of their pant legs, itching at their eyes, staining their skin dull orange-red. It was hideous. It was awful. It was perfect. Kolivan let Thace go. For someone who insisted they needed to keep moving, he seemed perfectly content to stand perfectly still and look extremely smug._

_Finally, he let Kolivan off the hook._

_“I love you, too.”_

 

“Once the meeting was over, and we achieved our goal, we told each other of our feelings.”

“What, just like that?”

“Just like that.”

“That doesn’t help me at all.”

Keith looks up at Kolivan through messy black bangs. He’s utterly perturbed, confusion radiating off him in waves. He looks so small again. Kolivan wants nothing more than to scoop him up in his arms and reassure him. Instead, he reaches out and ruffles his hair.

“My telling you about your uncle was never going to help you in the first place, Keith.”

Keith looks affronted.

“Why even bother telling me, then?”

“The important part was how I identified the feeling, wouldn’t you agree? I had already felt it for some time before I admitted it. Love is not a switch you flip inside yourself. It takes time to unfurl into something real and true. Can you imagine your future without this person? Can you see yourself living happily without them? Do you want anything more than to see them happy and fulfilled at your side? These are the questions you should ask yourself.”

Keith sets a considering hand to his mouth. He’s staring at the floor, but not really seeing it. His eyes are glazed and posture sloppy.

 

+++

 

Keith is an adult much faster than Kolivan was prepared for when he realizes he’s in love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh you wanna meet the parents?  
> let's meet the backstory first. ;]


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the penultimate pain

Kolivan loves his nephew. He really does. No matter what anyone says or how he behaves, Keith is a bright light in his world. This does not mean, however, that Kolivan _tolerates_ Keith. This is not exactly true. Kolivan tolerates Keith. He tolerates him very much. Kolivan cannot quite tolerate Keith with the addition of his friends.

Hunk is an absolute angel, as far as Kolivan is concerned. He’s polite, sharp, smart as anything, and loyal to the end. His laughter is contagious, and he proves to continuously be a good influence on Keith. The problem is that Hunk can only do so much when others are involved.

‘Others’ here meaning Lance.

‘Others’ here meaning Lance and Pidge with Keith’s blood in the water.

It was a nice afternoon, really. Kolivan had a rare morning spent at the central office, where he helped monitor a class of new recruits. The incoming pool was promising, with more promoted to the next level of observation than the organization had seen in some time. He was able to grab a quick lunch out with Thace, a nice salad and glass of wine at their favorite cafe.

He returned home by three, with just enough time to do some gardening before getting down to a little more work at the dinner table. Really, he should have known better. Nothing good ever happens at the dinner table anymore.

At a quarter to five, Keith blew into the house, all bluster and angry features, followed closely by a spluttering Hunk and cackling Lance. Ten seconds later, Pidge tripped in, carrying grass and dirt all over Kolivan’s freshly mopped entryway. Kolivan is a strong man. He doesn’t know his own might at times. That’s the only way to explain how his space bar seemed to have jammed itself into the depths of his laptop keyboard.

So now, here he sits, rooted to his chair yet again as he hunches quietly over their heirloom dinner table. He pretends to look over recruit physical testing results. His eyes move back and forth across the screen, his fingers click the mouse and tap occasionally at the keyboard, an eyebrow raises every so often at a seemingly interesting tidbit. Kolivan is a very convincing actor, if he does say so himself. And he does. Nobody else will say it for him.

He takes a sip of his third glass of afternoon wine.

“Keith. Buddy. My main grumpy squeeze. I don’t know why you’re still holding this against me! Curious minds wanna know!”

Lance’s voice strikes Kolivan deep, something akin to nails on a chalkboard. He’s a good kid at heart. He truly is. He just cannot understand Keith’s boundaries and the consequences of crossing them. If he does, he ignores them, anyway. Keith growls.

“Your mind is never curious, you asshole. You’re just a dick.”

“Guys, c’mon,” Hunk’s gentle voice soothes. “I thought we squashed this.”

“You can’t squash something if you keep bringing it up,” Keith argues.

“I just wanna know, dude! I wanna know what you have that he’s so into!”

“Lance, man. That’s rude and you know it,” Hunk chides. Kolivan agrees. Keith has all sorts of features that would make him perfect for a future mate. He’s a good boy. The crack of plastic makes Kolivan glance down to his keyboard again, where the shift key has mysteriously buckled in half. “Besides, you definitely ruined a really great moment for him. So...he kinda deserves to be pissed at you for that one as long as he wants.”

“I said I was sorry!” Lance screeches. It’s a piercing sound, traveling through the house at breakneck speed. If Kolivan hadn’t freshly dusted, he imagines dust motes would go flying through the air at its power. He breathes deeply, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“But you won’t let it go, dude. It doesn’t matter why Shiro’s into Keith. Like, at all. He just is and that’s that.”

Hunk’s voice rings with finality. The corner of Kolivan’s mouth lifts at the tone. He’ll make an exceptional father one day. Lance would too, really, if he would just calm down. He’s encouragement and sharp wit tied up tight under rapidfire reactions and the right kind of competitive spirit. Usually. Mostly, he’s incredible at riling Keith up in a spectacular fashion.

Heavy silence clings to the house, anticipatory and smothering. Kolivan rolls his head, pops a shoulder, cracks his knuckles. A deep sigh chases away the atmosphere just as quickly as it was allowed to collect.

“Right. You’re right. I’m sorry, Keith. It’s just...that guy’s my hero.”

“He’s a real person, Lance.”

“I know.”

“So am I, Lance.”

“I _know._ ”

“I have feelings, Lance.”

“Alright, alright. I get it! I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be such a shit.”

A brief silence. Kolivan breathes in time with the grandfather clock in the room.

“...It’s cool.”

And that’s that.

“Fantastic,” Hunk deadpans. “Can we do this homework now?”

“Yes, please _god,_ ” Pidge suddenly pipes up. A telltale crinkle and crunch follows her words, a sign that Kolivan will need to restock the snack cabinet soon. If there’s one thing she can be counted on, it’s staying out of other people’s business and staying _in_ their food. She a good kid. He likes her. Her habits on a computer? Not so much. “Not that your fairytale romance isn’t absolutely _riveting_ , but-”

“It’s not,” Keith interjects.

“-it’s not.”

“At least someone in this house agrees,” Keith mumbles, and that stings. Kolivan isn’t the nosy kind. Sure, he _wants_ to know exactly what kind of person this Shiro is, and if he’s fit to be his nephew’s partner. He wants to know his exact build and criminal history, family history, future plans, high school performance, perhaps his blood type. Kolivan wonders if he has any references he could provide. But he’s not nosy. Just concerned.

“But I wouldn’t argue,” Pidge continues, a hint of mischievousness in her voice, “if you decided to tell me exactly how many abs he has.”

“Goddammit, Katie.”

It’s not often Keith breaks out her real name.

The quartet stomp upstairs to Keith’s room, much like when they were younger. They’re just as loud and inconsiderate as back then. Kolivan tries to remember where he put the foam erasers in anticipation of the scuffs he’ll need to remove from the walls. His phone finds its way to his hand before he even realizes it.

 **Me:** _I am getting very tired of this Shiro business._

 **Thace:** _That is inconvenient._

 

+++

  


A week later, Keith has another date with Shiro.

It’s a Friday night, nothing entirely exciting. Kolivan has long come to accept that the nature of their routine has shifted fundamentally. There is no longer a schedule by which he can set his watch to. Keith is no longer as constant as the moon. He’s on his own time, with his own private tasks now, and Kolivan cannot fault him for that. No, he must be supportive and loving as much as possible. Their time together draws shorter, he knows, and he must not waste it on reminiscence and overprotectiveness.

So when Keith passes through the living room and casually mentions he has a date, Kolivan is proud of himself when he doesn’t even flinch. It’s fine, really. Keith’s been seeing Shiro for roughly eight months by now, which is plenty of time for Kolivan to refine his non-reactions to perfection. He stills thinks they’re moving a little quickly, but hey, who is he to judge? Pot and kettle, and all that.

It isn’t until Keith says the magic words as he slips out the front door that Kolivan loses all of his carefully cultivated pretense.

“Don’t wait up!”

The door clicks shut and he’s gone. With him goes Kolivan’s sanity. He’s tried, really he has. He likes to think he’s been patient throughout this whole process. He hasn’t made demands or tried to pry. He’s allowed Keith to determine what he shares in his own time. But at some point, the thread had to snap. The fates had to look down from their perch on high and decide to take their golden shears to his lifeline.

Kolivan does something he hasn’t done since his teenage years.

He does something most unbecoming.

He shoves his face in a pillow and screams.

Which is how Thace finds him as he traipses into the living room.

“He left for the night, I see.”

“My soul is with him.”

“That seems dramatic.”

Thace sits beside Kolivan on the couch, lazily taking him in his arms. The embrace is warm and comforting, everything needed for a proper distraction. And yet.

The television drones on in front of them, but Kolivan can’t see or hear it. All he can see is his nephew out in the world with a man Kolivan still hasn’t met, doing who knows what. Kolivan shifts in place as scenario after scenario fills his head, images of Keith tucked under a nondescript arm, Keith with his own arm slung across blurry shoulders, Keith kissing someone he keeps a secret. It’s not something Kolivan wants to imagine. It’s rather unappealing. It’s entirely unacceptable. It’s completely-

“Dramatic.”

“Hmm?” Thace hums sleepily.

“I am being dramatic.”

“Yes you are,” Thace agrees.

“Let’s go to bed.”

Kolivan stands from the couch, cracking his back loudly. Thace flips off the television and levels him with an affectionate look, fond and slightly exasperated. The world turns upside down as Kolivan finds himself tossed over Thace’s shoulder. He reaches down Thace’s strong back and pats him on the rear.

“As you wish.”

 

+++

 

Keith returns home two days later.

Thace is seated next to Kolivan at the kitchen island, helping to do the Sunday finances, when the front door swings open much quieter than it has been lately. Kolivan hears the latch click, hears Keith walk lightly through the entry, hears him toe off his shoes and kick them against the wall to join the ever-growing pile by the stairs.

A hand settles on Kolivan’s lower back.

“Be calm,” Thace murmurs, standing up to refresh his tea. “He _is_ in love, after all. You remember what that’s like.”

“I still know what that’s like,” Kolivan shoots back, although there’s no heat behind it. He understands Thace’s point.

“Keith?” Kolivan calls out. He’s met with a sharp intake of breath. He can imagine the curse words Keith is muttering, even if he can’t completely make them out. He can picture the twist of his mouth and the crinkle between his brows.

“...Yeah?”

“We’re in the kitchen, if you’d like to join us.”

It’s not a request. Keith knows it. He trudges down the hall, sheepishly stepping through the doorway. His eyes are trained to the ground, cheeks dusted a light pink. Kolivan can’t even recall the last time he’s seen the boy blush. It’s yet another thing he’s done lately to surprise him. Briefly, he wonders if his world even has an axis anymore, what with how much Keith has been knocking it around.

The boy looks clean, at least. He seems freshly showered, all bundled up in sweats and a hoodie. It’s peculiar, though. He doesn’t remember ever seeing Keith wear that particular sweatshirt before. It also seems exceptionally large on him. Kolivan narrows his eyes at the fabric pooling around Keith’s torso.

Keith catches Kolivan’s line of sight and manages to hold his ground under his withering glare. Still, he retreats inside himself a fraction. His hands disappear under the cuffs and his shoulders hunch down a few degrees until the only thing left to see of him is the swath of skin from his nose up.

“Well!” Thace announces, clapping his hands to dispel the tension. “It would appear that you’ve had a nice weekend.”

“Uhhhh.”

Keith is ever so eloquent under pressure.

“Yes,” Kolivan agrees, reseating himself and waving a hand at the offending sweatshirt. “So good, it seems you needed to go shopping.”

Keith grasps at his chest, balling the fabric up in his fist.

“I, uh.”

“Mmm, very good observation, Kolivan,” Thace agrees. “I must say, I thought we had gotten past your baggy clothing days. I suppose we must not be very good guardians to have ignored this change.”

Kolivan nods his head sagely. He remembers the first time he came home after spending the night with someone. He tries not to let his amusement break through. Keith is an unfortunate, but extensively amusing target.

“Yes,” He answers. “Keith, I am so sorry we did not notice. Please, tell us all about your new fashion.”

“Um.”

“You know, I think we still have his old clothes in the attic. I could pop right up and check,” Thace muses with a finger to his chin. “I’m sure they’d all fit just the same.”

Kolivan smiles at his husband across the kitchen. Thace’s lip twitches. They’re doing so, so well. Kolivan just hopes they can keep it together for a few minutes more. He’s positive Keith will crack if they can just-

“Holy shit, okay!”

There it is. Keith huffs, his closest approximation to a temper tantrum, and yanks the hoodie off over his head. It takes him a second to tug his shirt back in place and fix his hair, but by the time he’s finished, the damage is done. Kolivan sees everything he needs to see. His eyes narrow again, heat flooding his veins and coursing through his body.

Thace notices too. His reaction is subtler, a slight twitching of a brow, the flexing of his fingers. Still, he manages to slip between Kolivan and Keith before anything happens.

He quirks a lip, prodding a thick finger right into one of the hickies on Keith’s neck.

“I didn’t realize you were a fan of accessories now, kid.”

Keith gulps audibly, the dry clicking of his throat piercing the silence of the kitchen. He catches himself, though. Kolivan can track the change in him as he gets himself together. He straightens his spine, lifts his chin, squares his shoulders. He looks every bit like his mother in that moment, and Kolivan could almost cry, he’s so proud of this boy.

Angry. He’s angry. Back to that.

Kolivan sets his hand on Thace’s side, gently sliding him out of the way so he can approach their nephew. Their beautiful, brilliant, promising nephew. He’s the sun and the earth, the stars and the sky, he’s every hardship and triumph and dream Kolivan has ever experienced all rolled into one human. He’s young and foolish, brash with the confidence that age provides, but still, Kolivan knows he is wise. He knows he can take care of himself. Keith is the culmination of everything Kolivan has ever taught him, everything Thace has ever demonstrated, every hard won lesson earned through the years.

If Keith is in love, Kolivan has no choice but to let him be.

His steps are measured, lighter than normal, as he crosses the kitchen. He wants to give Keith every chance to get away if he needs to. The boy will always beat a hasty retreat when he feels too cornered. His muscles tense when Kolivan sets a hand on his shoulder. Kolivan chuckles as he presses his thumb into the mouth-shaped mark on Keith’s neck.

“What an aggressive sweater.”

The tension releases all at once, Keith slumping forward into Kolivan’s chest and throwing his arms around his middle.

“I really love that sweater.”

Kolivan sets a tender hand to the back of Keith’s head, running his fingers through the tousled locks.

“I know you do.”

Thace rounds the island to join them, settling a hand on top of Keith’s head.

“You know you’re required to bring him home now, right?”

“...Yeah.”

“If I do not like your sweater,” Kolivan mumbles as he presses a kiss to Keith’s forehead, “I will hang him out to dry.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> koli-dad's got jokes!!!


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> meet the ~~parents~~ uncles

In the time that Keith has been seeing Shiro, many things have occurred. Not least of all, a remarkable change in Keith himself. Kolivan has stood by and watched quietly - a fact he is excessively proud of, thank you very much - as Keith’s edges have smoothed down, his occasional harshness fading until finally becoming a rarity.

Keith is on his phone much more than he ever was, too. This is the most obvious change. Conveniently enough, it has also been the most difficult for Kolivan to adapt to. The days in which Keith comes home without his phone tucked securely against his ear are few and far between, and Kolivan misses that connection with his nephew. He can feel him slipping away, like sand through an hourglass, while he’s forced to witness the time dwindle.

He’s mentioned his concern, albeit briefly, to Thace. The reply he received was the same as always. _The boy is in love, you old codger. Let him be._

So, as Keith turns away from his uncle’s probing and immediately extracts his cellphone from his pocket, Kolivan does his best to withhold the sigh bubbling up in his throat.

He is surprised, however, when Keith remains in the kitchen, watching them warily as he places his call. The line rings for a moment before a low voice answers. Unlike the buzzing of Keith’s dearest friends, this voice thrums through the line like the rumble of a bear, deep and poised and fond.

“Hey, Shiro.”

_Rumble Rumble._

“So, uhhh...there’s a thing. That happened. Today.”

Keith slams his eyes closed and flushes in embarrassment at himself, and Kolivan is just as fond as the boy’s grizzly-voiced phonemate.

_Rumblerumblerumble._

“No, oh my god, calm down! I’m fine. But uh, I got home today, y’know?”

_Rumble._

“And both of my uncles were home. Are home?” Keith sighs. “I’m looking at them right now.”

_Rumble RumbleRumble._

“Well, um. Long story short is that you have to meet them now.”

…

_Rumblerumblerumblerumblerumblerumblerum-_

“Shiro, jesus, relax. Please. It’s not like this wasn’t coming.”

_Rumble Rumble. Rumble._

“Yeah, well just be cool about it.”

The rumbling becomes panicked, shooting out of rumbling territory very nearly into wailing. A part of Kolivan takes perverse pleasure in the panic their impending meeting is causing this _Shiro_. He deserves a little taste of what he’s caused Kolivan these many months. Kolivan loses himself momentarily, dreaming about the moment he finally meets the cause of his horrifying battle with his mortality. In his mind’s eye, the boy is sheepish, withdrawn, nervous and eager to impress. He’s pliable. Breakable.

Keith sighs and hangs up the phone.

Kolivan looks to Thace in confusion, only to find him staring him down with a calculated look on his face. He reaches out to tug Keith to his chest, murmuring reassurances into his hair.

“Everything will be fine, Keith. We will behave ourselves.”

Thace never breaks eye contact with Kolivan. He does not appreciate the implication.

 

+++

 

Keith is laid out on the couch when Kolivan comes home from work. He checks his watch. Tuesday. Two o’clock. The boy should be in class.

He pats his nephew’s head as he passes to set his things down on the dining room table. Keith sighs heavily as Kolivan’s fingers card through his hair. He sets his briefcase on the table, pulling his laptop out and setting it up, before returning to the living room.

Kolivan stands over the end of the couch, surveying Keith in his dramatic state. His eyes are closed, arm slung over his forehead. Manet could not have painted a finer picture of tortured repose. Kolivan snorts under his breath and heads to the kitchen. He prepares two cups of tea and returns to the living room, finding Keith just where he left him. He taps the boy’s ankle, waiting patiently for him to lift his feet so he can slide underneath. He rearranges Keith’s bony ankles until he’s satisfied, and offers the boy a cup of jasmine oolong. _Comfort tea_ , he muses.

They sit in silence, much like any other time Keith has something on his mind. Kolivan is fairly certain that he knows what it’s about this time, however, so he finds himself much more comfortable in his waiting than usual. He picks the latest issue of his favorite gun magazine up from the coffee table and flicks it open to a random page, pretending to read as he waits Keith out. This is something that seems to be occurring fairly often recently, him pretending to read while he silently tries to needle information out of his nephew. It’s a wonder he gets any reading done at all, at this rate.

Keith continues to huff and squirm on the couch, occasionally checking his phone and shoving it back into the depths of the skinniest jeans Kolivan has ever seen in his life. He understands fashion, truly he does, but he continues to be amazed every day that the boy can even get so little fabric over his hips. Each time Keith squirms, Kolivan hums and flips a page.

By the time he runs out of pages, Keith remains silent. Kolivan flips the cover closed and peruses the ad on the back. Keith remains silent still. Kolivan flips the magazine back over to the front, carefully regarding the matte black handgun displayed reverently atop red velvet on the cover. By the time he realizes that he is seriously considering adding it to his cache, Keith clears his throat.

“I graduate soon.”

Kolivan looks up to meet Keith’s gaze.

“You do.”

“I was thinking of getting my master’s.”

Kolivan’s heart softens immeasurably at his nephew’s words. He never really had a doubt that he would have a bright future, that he would go places. Being proven correct is so sweet when it is the kind of affirmation that grants Keith the opportunities Kolivan dreams of for him.

“You will excel at whatever you choose.”

“I was thinking aviation mechanics. You know, building planes and stuff.”

“I think you would be well suited for that.”

Keith has always been good with his hands and incredibly mechanically minded. Aviation research and design would be right up his alley, Kolivan thinks. Anything to keep him as far away from Kolivan’s line of business as possible is a career more than worthy, he admits to himself.

Keith smiles lightly up at Kolivan. He looks relieved, in a sense. Carefree. His expression rapidly changes, however. It darkens a bit and he sighs again. He has something else to say, it’s written all over his face. This makes Kolivan pensive. If Keith is so excited about facing the future, he should not seem so apprehensive.

“What else is on your mind, Keith?” Kolivan asks cautiously. Whatever it is, he simply cannot see how it could be so bad.

“Shiro asked me what I thought about moving in together today.”

He was wrong.

Kolivan is, as his nephew’s friends so often say, shitting his pants.

 

+++

 

The fated evening of The Meeting arrives sooner than Kolivan had prepared himself for. This is a bit of a misstatement, of course. Time did not, for some ridiculous reason, decide to move more swiftly in an attempt to spite him. Kolivan had simply decided to ignore the inevitable until he had no choice. He shoved the thought to the back of his mind until it came skidding to the forefront, brought on by Keith frantically running up and down the stairs to clean and change his clothing and brush his hair (for the first time that Kolivan can account for in a dog’s age). Keith brushes his teeth twice. He changes his shoes thrice. Thace rubs Kolivan’s back sympathetically as he pinches the bridge of his nose while Keith uses his laptop to research the best way to make a house seem homely in under an hour.

Kolivan drew the line at simmering potpourri on the stove.

Out of respect for the situation, Keith had agreed to stay home with his uncles for the day and assist with the preparations. This was, of course, mostly a ruse. Kolivan simply did not want to experience his bruise-stained nephew traipsing in again with his hooligan boyfriend in tow. Truthfully, Keith was so mortified after the first time that it was guaranteed never to occur again, but one must do what they can to control variables. It’s pure science.

Still, as Thace assists in dinner preparation and Keith goes whizzing through the kitchen to do a final load of laundry for some mysterious reason, Kolivan cannot help but to think that perhaps he _should_ have sent the boy off to retrieve his boyfriend. At the very least, he would be able to snatch a final few moments of peace and quiet before having his sanity torn ruthlessly from his clutches.

Kolivan sighs and chops onions with a little more force than is strictly necessary as Thace cranks the heat on the oven. A roast seems a little excessive in his opinion, but he was helpless to resist when Thace ran a hand across his thigh in bed the night before and suggested they do their best to make Keith’s loved one feel welcome. He dices the onions into tiny pieces, grumbling and huffing. He is being childish, he knows, but he simply cannot help it. He loves his nephew. He only wants what is best for him.

Thace smiles lightly at him from the stove. He pours them both a glass of one of their better bottles of malbec. The glasses are more full than not, and as Thace slides Kolivan a glass across the kitchen island, he raises an eyebrow.

“You remember when I met your mother for this first time?”

Kolivan’s still-chopping hand slips a bit. Fortunately, the onion takes the brunt of his mistake. He sets his knife aside, reaches out for his glass, and takes a savage, unappreciative swig. The wine deserves better, truly.

“It is difficult for me to answer that question without a question of my own.”

Thace’s lip quirks playfully.

“Do tell.”

“How in the world could I ever forget?”

Thace bursts into laughter, setting his glass down on the counter and rounding it to throw a lazy arm around Kolivan’s waist and pull him closer. His nose buries deep into Kolivan’s hair, breathing with affection.

“I thought she would destroy me,” he says, voice muffled.

“She walked in on us having sex, of course she was going to destroy you.”

“To be fair, I told you the location was less than ideal.”

“Every location was less than ideal back then. And besides, if we were to wed as planned, she needed to meet you.”

Thace chuckles low in his throat.

“I am still surprised as to how I convinced her to allow it after all that.”

“Hmmm,” Kolivan murmurs, sliding a hand around his husband’s neck. “You can be quite convincing.”

“And you’re both awful,” Keith’s voice breaks them from the reminiscence. “Just...the worst.”

Thace smiles benignly at Keith, arm still slung around Kolivan.

“Imagine my surprise when our dear, wonderful, precious, talented, smart nephew takes after us in a way.” Thace pauses for a dramatic smirk. “Although, I must say that I’m glad you saved the coupling for a time when you _weren’t_ at home. For that, I must thank your boyfriend.”

“Oh my fucking god.”

The pain with which Keith says it is palpable. It’s strangled and raspy with a whine. Kolivan is not above saying that his nephew’s embarrassment is exceptionally satisfying. He smiles lightly at his own pettiness.

“I love you, nephew.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Keith answers with a wave, stalking away from the kitchen with a blush riding high on his cheeks. “He’ll be here in fifteen, so just. Please. For the love of everything that is holy and maybe a little unholy, just. God, please just don’t embarrass me too bad?”

Thace feigns a shocked sound, throwing a hand across his chest.

“Keith, we would never!”

Keith scoffs and climbs up to his room yet again for some reason or another. Once his door shuts, Thace looks back to Kolivan.

“We are definitely embarrassing them.”

“Oh, absolutely.”

Thace kisses him deeply and steps away to check on the roast. They lose themselves in their cooking, preparing side dishes and laying the final touches on everything as the timer on the oven goes off just as the doorbell rings. Keith’s door slings open upstairs and he stomps down the stairs, feet as heavy as concrete blocks.

“I’ll get it! I’ve got it!”

“Do you think he has it?” Thace asks from the corner of his mouth. Kolivan snorts and sips at his wine.

The front door opens.

There’s silence.

More silence.

Kolivan checks his watch.

Five seconds pass.

“Hey,” Keith says. The word is soft and fond, there’s a smile in his voice.

“Hey yourself,” a deep bass voice says. _Shiro._ Kolivan shuts his eyes to gather himself.

“Showtime,” Thace mutters beside him. He scoops his glass up from the counter and saunters down the hall.

“Well don’t just stand there sounding all lovestruck, Keith. Invite the man in!”

Keith makes a noise. A squawk, really. Kolivan has never heard a noise like it come from the boy, but it’s nervous and squeaking, and the moment it pierces the atmosphere, Kolivan deflates. His pettiness and built up annoyance at this situation wars with his love for his nephew, and considering the balance of the scales, it’s barely even a battle. Keith will win every time. Resolved to be on his best behavior, Kolivan removes his apron and starts toward the entryway.

“It’s so nice to finally meet Keith’s mysterious suitor,” Thace is saying as Kolivan rounds the corner. “We’ve heard much about you.”

Shiro laughs nervously.

“Nothing bad, I hope?”

“And wouldn’t it be interesting if it were?” Kolivan asks as he comes face to face with the bane of his heart’s existence. He thrusts his hand out into the space between them, sizing up the man. “Shiro. It is nice to finally meet you.”

Shiro grasps his hand. His hands are clammy but solid. Kolivan tends to judge the character of a person based on the quality of their handshake. This one is firm, sure. He finds himself a bit impressed. Still, he refuses to be charmed so easily. He continues the shake for a few seconds longer than is needed, taking the opportunity to look Shiro over critically.

He’s tall and broad. Strongly muscled. It is difficult for Kolivan not to make a comment about Keith’s taste in men, but he does file the thought away for later. His face is classically handsome, all square-cut jaw with strong features. Were it not for the light pink scar slashed across his face, Kolivan would think him almost harsh in appearance. He’s dressed smartly, a button down shirt with well-kept jeans and polished shoes. He’s put effort into his appearance. Kolivan will allow him to enter his home, then. He drops his hand and beckons for the group to move on to the living room.

Keith cuts off toward the kitchen, looking back over his shoulder as he goes.

“Shiro, you want anything to drink?”

Kolivan watches like a hawk as Shiro’s focus remains trained on Keith’s back as he leaves. His face is soft and smitten, his eyes glimmering with the overflowing love that youth provides.

“Maybe just some water?”

Kolivan swears he hears Keith mutter something along the lines of _thirsty_ as he steps into the kitchen. Once he’s fully out of sight, however, Shiro snaps to attention. He focuses solely on Thace and Kolivan as they sit side by side on the sofa, twin glasses of wine in twin right-handed clutches. Kolivan remembers a family reunion once when he was younger when his aunts sat on a sofa in a pose very much like this. Before his mind can throw him into a miniature existential crisis over the thought, he clears his throat.

“So, Shiro. Tell us about yourself,” he gestures to the man to speak.

“Aside from your skill with bruising up necks, of course,” Thace adds.

A pained sound comes from the kitchen.

“Ah, yes, aside from that,” Kolivan agrees easily. “Although, now I understand why Keith’s new wardrobe piece that day was so large.”

Thace hums agreeably beside him.

The pained sound intensifies. Keith scurries back into the room just in time for Shiro to flush bright red and throw a hand around the back of his neck.

“I am so sorry,” he rushes out. “I didn’t want your first impression of me to be something that...untoward? I, uh-”

“Oh my god,” Keith whines. “I literally just asked you two not to do this.”

“No, Keith. It’s fine. Really,” Shiro reassures him. “It was pretty messed up of me to send you home like that. My mom would be pissed, too.”

If Kolivan could describe the moment when the human soul leaves a body, he would describe it as thus: Keith, listening to his guardians ask his lover about said lover’s penchant for marking up the boy’s skin. This is humorous to Kolivan, considering his profession. He’s taken souls from bodies. And yet, the best example of full death is Keith in this moment.

“Well, you both can rest assured that I will absolutely bring it up every chance I get in the future,” Thace laughs. “To be honest, I thought Keith would never display the ability to make such a choice.”

He is not incorrect.

“This is true,” Kolivan agrees. “You are the first man our nephew has ever brought home in any capacity.”

“Really?”

Shiro’s face goes impossibly soft as he gazes over at Keith. Keith is mortified, but when his gaze connects with Shiro’s, it glistens. The love between the two of them is evident, pouring from their eyes and flooding all over the floor. They share a few quiet expression changes, seeming to speak with a language all their own. Kolivan understands the feeling. Perhaps, he is beginning to think, perhaps he was hasty in his prejudgement.

“Yeah,” Keith answers quietly. The smile Shiro gives in return is, for lack of a better description, dazzling. Thace’s hand finds Kolivan’s knee and squeezes. Kolivan slides his attention over, peering at his husband from the corner of his eyes. His face is stoic, considering. But Kolivan can read the thoughts swimming beneath the surface: neither of them had considered just how serious this relationship may have been. It would seem that neither of them were prepared for the true depths.

“Well!” Kolivan announces, slapping his hands down on his knees and standing. “Dinner is ready, so I suggest we eat while it is hot.”

He leads them to the kitchen to grab plates and watches quietly as Keith and Shiro stand elbow to elbow, piling their plates with food and laughing quietly to each other. The food all served, they head to the dinner table, and Shiro hangs back to allow Keith into the room first. He sets his plate on the table and pulls Keith’s chair out, a gesture Keith scoffs at.

“Please, Shiro. I have arms.”

“I know. They’re very nice arms.”

“Then you know I can use them.”

“Yes. You remind me every time I do this for you.”

Thace snorts from his own seat, already pulled away and sat in. He managed it all on his lonesome, Kolivan thinks to himself sulkily.

Eventually, everyone is seated and the eating begins. Shiro compliments the food and thanks them for cooking. Keith looks proud as he tells him about all the meals they’ve shared together for holidays and special occasions, bragging about their culinary skill. Kolivan, for his part, finds himself blinking rapidly. He assumes there must be something in his eyes.

“Now then,” he speaks up finally, “Shiro. Please tell us about yourself.”

“Okay,” he answers, setting his fork down. “Well, I’m twenty-five. I study Engineering at the University-”

“He’s top of his class,” Keith interrupts. Shiro chuckles in response.

“I work hard. But I graduate this year, so I’m almost done.”

“And what do you wish to do when you have graduated?” Thace asks politely.

“I actually already have something lined up at Altea Industries.”

“Oh?” Kolivan asks, raising an eyebrow. “Are they not an aerospace design company?”

He lays it on a little heavy. Of course he knows what Altea Industries does. This fact is interesting.

“Yes, they are! I’ll be in their R and D department.”

“Interesting,” Kolivan comments. “Keith, did you not mention you were interested in aircraft design the other day?”

Keith’s face flushes impossibly red and Kolivan knows he’s got him.

“I mean. Yeah,” Keith answers. “I think I’d be good at it.”

“I think you would too, babe,” Shiro answers, another fond smile on his face.

“Well, then speaking of future plans and their fortuitous alignment, I feel it is my duty to ask” -Keith’s eyebrows shoot up his face as he realizes where Kolivan is taking the conversation- “about you suggesting Keith and you share a home together.”

Keith’s hand finds his face and takes up residence across its surface. Shiro laughs under his breath and gently pries his hand away, wrapping it up in his own and settling them down in his lap. Kolivan’s knuckles crack, and he realizes it’s because his hands have somehow found themselves in tight fists. Thace settles a hand against his thigh and squeezes. It’s the signal for him to calm down, to relax. He breathes out and focuses on Shiro’s face as he answers.

“Sir,” -Thace snorts quietly at the honorific- “I. Um. I love Keith. Very much. I love him more than I think I’ve ever loved anyone in my life. And I know that’s not really a long time, y’know considering that I’m only twenty-five and all, but-but I do.”

He looks at Keith, their hands still clasped in his lap. Keith looks as though he was just handed the greatest grand prize of his life. His face is fond and proud and peaceful. Shiro looks back to Kolivan.

“I know that I could have probably tried to meet you sooner, but Keith didn’t want me to until he was sure about this, and I didn’t want to go against his wishes. But, I see a future for us. A good future. I love your nephew and I want to be near him as much as possible, for as long as he’ll have me” -Shiro looks over to Keith again- “for as long as you’ll have me.”

Keith smiles softly up at the other man.

“Alright, Jane Austen, I think they get it.”

Shiro laughs and raises their hands, kissing Keith’s knuckles.

“That’s wonderful and all, but are you moving in together or not?” Thace asks. “If you don’t answer the question soon, I fear my husband will have a stroke. Which would be most unfortunate. I do quite like him, after all.”

All eyes shift to Keith. He clears his throat, sips his soda, sets his glass down, wipes his hands on his pants. Kolivan can hear his feet swishing against the floor. He fights back his smile.

“We, um. We applied for an apartment today.”

The bomb doesn’t strike as painfully at Kolivan had thought it would.

“That settles it then!” Thace announces, standing up to clear their plates.

“Yes, I suppose so,” Kolivan agrees weakly. “Keith, would you help your uncle with the dishes? I have a few more questions for this young man.”

Keith gulps audibly.

Shiro gulps audibly.

Thace huffs fondly.

“Y-yeah. Sure.”

He squeezes Shiro’s hand one last time and stands to help Thace in the kitchen. Kolivan stays where he is, staring silently across the table at Shiro. He considers his words, weighing them heavily in his mind as he shapes the sentences.

The door to the kitchen slides shut.

“I love my nephew very much.”

“I know, sir,” Shiro says.

“You love my nephew very much.”

“I do, sir,” Shiro says.

“I will not insult him by asking your intentions, as I believe them to be quite clear. I will also not do him the dishonor of asking you to take care of him as though he were some possession.”

Shiro looks mildly horrified.

“I simply ask you this: why have you chosen him?”

Shiro laughs in surprise. He takes a moment to calculate the importance of Kolivan’s questions before answering. Kolivan can see the gears turning in his head, can see him weigh all of Keith’s attributes and strengths as he tries to come up with the answer he thinks will most please Kolivan.

Kolivan can’t help his surprise, then, when his answer is a simple, “I think he chose me, sir.”

It’s not what he expected to hear, but it _is_ what he needed. Shiro is nothing but a gentleman, this much is clear. Kolivan can read a man better than anyone else he knows, and for all his studying, he can tell that Shiro is honest in his intentions. He treats Keith with fond respect, looks at him reverently, and conducts himself with a general air of kindness around the boy. He is precisely the sort of man Krolia would have wanted Keith to choose.

They chat a bit more as Thace and Keith complete the dishes. By the time they finish, it’s rather late. Thace ushers Shiro and Keith out the door, insisting that they should leave together for the night to relax after the stress of their first meeting. They watch as Shiro’s sensible hatchback pulls out the driving, carrying what Kolivan suspects is the most precious cargo all three of them possess.

They watch silently as the car turns down the street and disappears around the corner.

Kolivan leans against Thace’s side, his husband’s hand coming up to stroke the nape of his neck.

“Well?” Thace asks.

“I miss him already.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> well.  
> i know i took a while to get here, but i hope it was worth the wait!
> 
> see you in the wrap-up!


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> an epilogue

It’s hotter than Kolivan would prefer on the day Keith boxes up his room to load in their rental truck. He does his best to control his shaking hands as he helps his nephew pack up books and trinkets and photos, but it proves difficult the closer to the end they get. Eventually the room stands bare, its only remaining occupant is Thace giving it one final sweep of the vacuum.

Kolivan watches silently from the hallway as all traces of Keith’s personality are wiped away, hands clenched at his side. He can hear Keith rattling around downstairs, presumably grabbing the final few loose objects that he has scattered about the house. The vacuum cuts off, but Kolivan can’t bring himself to look away.

“We knew this day was coming, you know,” Thace says quietly. He approaches slowly, much like a zookeeper attempting to calm a skittish animal. Kolivan smiles lightly at him. It’s a strangled smile, not genuine. He knows Thace will see right through it, but for his own sake, he has to try.

“We did,” he agrees.

“And yet, it would seem we weren’t quite ready.”

The words drop like a stone between them. Kolivan was fine as long as they remained unspoken, but now, with the reality of their current situation finally admitted freely, he can no longer contain himself. His vision goes curiously blurred, his eyes stinging with the welling of his tears. Thace clicks his tongue and steps forward, taking Kolivan in his arms and cooing comforting words in his ears.

“Hey, hey, now. We can do this. He’s not going far, you know? We will still see him often.”

Thace wipes the pads of his thumbs across Kolivan’s cheeks, clearing them of the tear tracks that have coursed their way down his skin. The salt itches as it dries, but it serves as a reminder of his reality. Keith is grown, he is leaving, and they have somehow succeeded in getting him there despite all the challenges he has faced. Kolivan huffs and bats Thace’s hands away.

“Yes, I am aware. Forgive my sensitivity.”

“I love your sensitivity,” Thace purrs, dragging his palm across Kolivan’s cheek.

“And now our touching parental moment has completed.”

Thace’s laughter chases Kolivan down the stairs as he goes in search of Keith. It doesn’t take long, all he has to do is follow the sound of banging and cursing. Eventually, he does find him, bent in half over the rim of the washing machine and grunting.

“Keith? What in the world are you doing?”

Keith startles, banging his head against the drum with a strangled _shit!_

“I’m cleaning the washing machine.”

“And why are you doing that?”

“It’s...dirty?”

Keith’s feet swing back and forth, his sneakers scuffing against each other as they collide. He’s barely making eye contact as he looks over his shoulder in Kolivan’s general direction. Kolivan tries his best not to smile and make things worse, but it proves a difficult task.

“The washing machine, which fills with soapy water on a regular basis, is dirty?”

“It gets filled with dirty clothes on the regular, Kolivan. It gets dirty. So I’m cleaning it.”

“Should you not be packing the rest of your belongings?” Keith goes stiff, his rigid body collapsing back over the rim of the washing machine. “Keith, come out of there.”

Keith slowly unfurls, sliding over the metal lip and standing to attention. He looks at the floor, hands shoved in his pockets, and kicks his feet. Kolivan breathes in deep and reaches out, tugging the boy to his chest.

“Why are you nervous, Keith? Is this not what you want?”

Keith doesn’t struggle in Kolivan’s grip; instead he collapses forward, throwing his arms around Kolivan’s waist. He nuzzles his face into Kolivan’s chest, breathing deep and jagged. It’s the way he breathes when he tries not to cry. Truth be told, it doesn’t happen often. Keith has never been much of a crier, preferring to work his emotions out through action. Nervous cleaning, for example.

“It’s what I want,” he answers eventually.

“So then, why are you afraid?”

“What if. What if it’s not like we thought, you know?” Keith rushes out, pressing his face further into Kolivan’s shirt. His words are muffled from the fabric, but the emotion still carries. “What if it doesn’t work out? What if he leaves?”

Kolivan’s breathing halts in his chest. He unwinds his arms from around Keith, settling his hands down on his shoulders so he can push him out to arm’s length. He stares down at his nephew seriously for a few moments before answering.

“Then we bring you home. We help you heal. This is what we are for.” Keith’s eyes gloss over in tears. Kolivan presses his thumbs down underneath them to stem the flow. “However, I do not think that will be necessary.”

Keith makes a confused noise in the back of his throat, a sound that never fails to make Kolivan smile.

“You two remind me of your uncle and myself when we were young. We seem to have worked out fine.”

Keith snorts and wipes his nose.

“You two are gross.”

“So there you have it. You know how I feel about you and your Takashi.”

Keith stills again. A silent moment passes, then he presses forward, crashing into Kolivan’s chest again.

“That’s the first time you’ve called him by his name.”

“Yes, well. Don’t get used to it. He will be here soon, and I cannot allow him to get too comfortable.”

Keith laughs and pulls away. His face is a bit splotchy, and there’s a crease in his cheek from pressing against Kolivan’s shirt, but he looks brighter and more excited now. He checks his watch and gasps.

“ _Shit,_ he’s gonna be here soon.”

“Are you not nearly finished? Or did our disgusting washing machine distract you too much?”

Keith flushes bright and backs away.

“I still have a couple boxes to handle.”

“Then I suggest you do so.”

Keith turns on a heel and plods from the room. Before he crosses the threshold, he cocks his head back over his shoulder, a smug look on his face.

“It really was disgusting, though,” he says evenly. It’s Kolivan’s turn to snort this time.

Keith disappears through the threshold, clattering into the entryway. The front door opens and slams closed in his wake.

“You know, you really are a good parent,” Thace says from behind Kolivan. He jumps a good three inches, gripping his chest in shock.

“How did you even get in here without my notice?”

“I snuck in while Keith was crying.”

“We would have seen you eventually.”

“Well I highly doubt that. I hid behind the island.”

“You are incorrigible.”

Thace smirks, drawing around the counter. He stalks forward slowly, a predator stalking his favorite prey.

“I’ll show you incorrigible.”

Kolivan returns his smirk, tossing his forearms over Thace’s shoulders.

“And how do you plan to do that?”

“However you plan to do it, can you do it when I’m _not_ here?” Keith asks from the hall. Kolivan drops his arms and spins around. Behind Keith stands his boyfriend, sheepishly holding a box and trying to avoid eye contact. Keith gestures over his shoulder with a thumb in his direction. “Shiro’s here, by the way. So thanks for that.”

“Uh. Hi, sir,” he greets Kolivan sheepishly. He looks to Thace over Kolivan’s shoulder. “Other sir. Sirs?”

The room remains quiet. Keith’s feet shuffle against the carpet.

“I’m, um. I’m gonna go. Put this in the truck. Maybe, I dunno, disappear for a year or something.”

Shiro flees the room. Keith watches him go fondly. As the front door closes behind the man, Keith spins back to face Kolivan and Thace.

“I swear to _God,_ you two.”

“We love you too, Keith,” Thace answers.

The boy rolls his eyes and leaves the room.

 

+++

 

Fortunately for all involved, the actual moving process goes much smoother than Kolivan had anticipated. Shiro is strong and full of the stamina of youth, bounding up and down the stairs of the apartment building laden with heavy boxes. The truck is fully unloaded in less than an hour, neither of the boys having many possessions to their names. They had agreed, when they decided to cohabitate, to save their money and go choose furniture together. A small decision, really, but one that Kolivan supported fully.

The more opportunities they have to compromise, the stronger they will become.

Kolivan assists Keith in unpacking the essential items he wisely placed together in the same boxes. Toiletries, immediate kitchen needs, enough clothes to last the week while the couple unpacks the rest of their belongings.

“I’m missing some stuff,” Keith says absently as Kolivan opens the flap of another box marked **IMPORTANT, KEITH OPEN ME NOW!!!**

“What are you missing?” Shiro asks from the living room.

“I think I left some boxes in the car.”

“We could all use some fresh air, I think,” Thace answers. “Let’s go check the vehicles for anything left.”

They all head outside to the parking lot, rummaging through backseats and grabbing leftover belongings. Keith was correct, he left a stack of boxes behind the driver’s seat of Kolivan’s SUV. They aren’t overly large or heavy, so he declines offers of help as he gathers them up and heads back inside.

Kolivan, Thace, and Shiro remain outside to check over their cars one final time. Shiro is distracted, constantly glancing at Keith’s back as he moves confidently toward their new apartment. His expression is dazed and dreamy, as if he can’t quite believe that he is where he is. Kolivan understands the feeling, he remembers intensely how he felt when he found Thace and they built their future together.

“You are very fond of my nephew,” Thace says lowly, standing next to Shiro as he watches Keith carry the boxes up the stairs. Shiro startles at Thace’s unexpected presence.

“I am.”

“He is very fond of you,” Thace admits. “I believe him when he says he’s in love with you.”

Shiro’s face goes soft and happy. The more time they spend getting to know him, the more he reminds Kolivan of a puppy.

“I believe him, too,” Shiro answers softly.

The back door slides open over them and Keith pokes his head out over the railing of the deck.

“Hey, babe! Did you know we had a water dispenser in the fridge?!”

Just as quickly as he appeared, Keith vanishes again.

“I’m gonna marry him someday,” Shiro mutters dazedly.

Kolivan turns on a heel and doesn’t look back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and kolivan lived agitatedly ever after.
> 
> i just wanted to say thank you so much to everyone who has read, followed, commented, and kudos'ed this story. the reaction has been so overwhelming for me, and i can't thank you enough for joining me through this lil baby.
> 
> i really hope you enjoyed it, and i hope to see you again soon!
> 
> <3333!!!

**Author's Note:**

> come yell at me about dad-ivan over on [tumblr](http://tootsonnewts.tumblr.com/)!


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